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Authentic Indigo by Master Dyer Aboubakar Fofana Now Available at Atelier Courbet

“Indigo is a living blue,” artist Aboubakar Fofana explains of the principle behind his dye-making process at his atelier in Bamako, Mali. Fofana, who is famed for his work in resuscitating traditional West African mud-cloth and indigo-dyeing techniques, is debuting a collection of resplendent blues at design gallery Atelier Courbet.

Linens, from the tabletop variety to the ones you wrap around your neck, are all available in a range of hues, from an arctic pale blue to the deepest indigo that borders on ink. The pièce de résistance of the show, however, is an ombré tent, which conjures nomadic fantasies of trekking across foreign lands or simpler memories of childhood tent-making.

It was as a boy, in fact, when Fofana’s impetus to create indigo began. He heard about the ancient tradition of breaking down plant leaves that turns fabric a brilliant shade of blue from his grandmother’s village. Unfortunately, the millennial-old practice had all but been forgotten due to industrialization that had made chemical dyeing easily mass-produced. But after years of research and experimenting, he finally figured out the fermentation that rules his process today. “I keep them in vats for up to fourteen months,” Fofana explains, “and I feed the bacteria a mix of porridge, honey, and crushed date powder.” The glucose maintains the life cycle of the bacteria, which is absorbed by the fiber of the cotton and linen in each dyeing. “The palest blues are, in fact, the most difficult to yield as the dye becomes fainter and fainter with age.” His eldest vats he lovingly refers to as his “old ladies.”

Splitting his time between Bamako and Paris, the artist has also trained under a master dyer in Japan. His work, while first and foremost West African, also reflects a global sensibility focused on craftsmanship. His international approach also echoes his multidisciplinary talents: Fofana’s fine art on mud-cloth jute canvas, featuring swirls of abstract flourishes, shows off his background as a calligrapher. He’s even developed designs for Edun, who commissioned his work for its spring 2012 ready-to-wear collection. Fofana’s textiles, regardless of application, are something he considers to be individual and immutable. “Each of my blues has its own emotion.”